Seismic Vulnerability Assessment and Retrofitting Strategies of Italian Masonry Churches of the Alife-Caiazzo Diocese in Caserta

ABSTRACTMasonry churches represent the major part of the Italian architectural heritage. Recent earthquakes stressed the high vulnerability of these constructions, provoking heavy structural damage and valuable losses. Different approaches have been developed to assess seismic vulnerability of churches. In particular, the complexity related to more detailed models has induced to define simplified methods, which can be used at territorial scale for a preliminary assessment of structural capabilities of homogeneous assets aiming at providing possible post-earthquake damage scenarios and suggesting general interventions strategies. Therefore, the vulnerability assessment of churches is carried out by subdividing the buildings into separate macro-elements, accounting for different possible collapse mechanisms. In this article, a simplified procedure (M.I.T. 2011) has been applied with reference to churches located in Caserta District, particularly those of the Alife-Caiazzo Diocese, by using the MaChro form c...